Nate Najar

Nate Najar is an American guitarist, composer and producer.

This determined musical interpreter with an old soul is singlehandedly reintroducing the finger-style nylon string classical guitar technique to a new generation of music lovers.Najar’s expressive blend of phrasing, groove and rhythmic refrain delivers compositions informed with his passion for all music, from traditional jazz, to blues, gospel, and Brazilian beats.The new album from the Nate Najar Trio, Aquarela Do Brasil is now available!

The compositions on this recording represent a wide cross section of Brazilian musical influence, a Watercolor of Brazil if you will. Four of the selections come from one Bossa Nova's originators (and one of the finest composers of the twentieth century) Antonio Carlos Jobim, and yet all four are very much post Bossa Nova. The rest of the selections either predate Bossa Nova or are jazz tunes with a Brazilian influence. Jobim's Ligia came to me from João Gilberto and Fotografia from the wonderful record Elis and Tom featuring Elis Regina. Amparo and Chovendo Na Roseira came from an ultimately forgettable film called "The Adventurers" for which Jobim composed the score. The score, however, is most certainly unforgettable and Jobim would record these pieces a few more times over the rest of his career.

Aquarela Do Brasil is of course that gorgeous, soaring 1939 melody from Ary Barroso known throughout much of the world simply as "Brazil." Walt Disney introduced it to the wider population in 1942 and it has endured. Carinhoso is such a beautiful, pure melody and I fell in love the first time I heard it. Written by the wonderful Brazilian composer Pixinguinha, it came to me first via one of my favorite guitar players, Charlie Byrd. Charlie himself is represented with his own composition written for his daughter, Charlotte's Fancy.Speaking of Charlie Byrd, one of his largest supporters, admirers and great friends was the WMAL DJ Felix Grant in Washington, DC. Felix was instrumental in helping to popularize Bossa Nova in DC and was a great supporter of all things jazz. Our bass player, Tommy Cecil, knew Felix quite well and wrote Samba For Felix in his honor. I thought it a terrific tune and asked Tommy if we could include it on the session.Chuck Redd and Tommy Cecil are two of the finest musicians I could ever hope to work with and I feel very fortunate to get to record and perform with them as often as I do. The fact that Chuck is equally strong on both drums and vibes is a tremendous benefit to the musical possibilities presented.

Stacey, now boasts eight best-selling albums, including the Grammy nominated, Breakfast on the Morning Tram (platinum), The Boy Next Door and Raconte-Moi, both of which achieved Gold status, a string of awards, including the British Jazz Award, the BBC Jazz Award for 'Best Vocalist,'the Backstage Bistro Award for best live performance, as well as a fan base that enables her to sell out concert halls around the world. Stacey also went on to receive the CHEVALIER DANS L'ORDRE DES ARTS ET DES LETTRES, awarded to her by the French Culture of Minister.

Since the release of Stacey's first album, CLOSE YOUR EYES, she has achieved, without compromise, both critical and popular success, with her fresh and heart-felt interpretations of the finest love songs of the twentieth century. But it was a feature on CBS SUNDAY MORNING in 1999 that gave Stacey national exposure in the USA and brought her to wider recognition. Since then, her career has continued to expand internationally, with Stacey traveling worldwide to concert halls from Taipei's Chiang Kai-shek Concert Hall to Carnegie Hall to the famed Olympia in Paris.

Stacey's admirers are not limited to the loyal fans that buy her albums and pack out her concerts. Clint Eastwood invited Stacey to sing at his 70th birthday party, Michael Parkinson invited Stacey to sing on his television show, as did Sir David Frost, who asked her to join him one Sunday morning, to sing a song and review the morning papers with him on "Breakfast with Frost" and Aerosmith's Steven Tyler, in a recent interview, listed Stacey, alongside Willie Nelson, as being among his favourite singers.

Three-time Oscar-winning songwriter, Jay Livingston, wrote of her, "Stacey Kent is a revelation. There is nobody singing today who can compare with her. She has the style of the greats, like Billie Holiday and Ella Fitzgerald. And she sings the words like Nat Cole - clean, clear and almost conversational with perfect phrasing. And that's as good as it gets."

It is not easy to account for Stacey's success and she herself remains characteristically coy. What is sure is that Stacey has a voice that grabs you. It demands to be listened to and yet never draws attention to itself. As her collaborator, Ishiguro put it in his liner notes to her 2002 album, IN LOVE AGAIN, "In song after song, we find a route to the emotional heart of the music without first having to admire her technique." Stacey's natural and unaffected delivery allows the craft of the songwriters, whose work she performs, to shine through. She has an appeal that transcends category.

“Kyle Eastwood is such a credible veteran young bass player that no one is surprised anymore that he represents so well young jazz players in Europe.” - Buffalo News

Music was a prominent fixture in the Eastwood home. Eastwood grew up listening to records by jazz legends such as Miles Davis, Dave Brubeck, Thelonious Monk, and the Stan Kenton Big Band with his parents, both jazz lovers. Eastwood attended the Monterey Jazz Festival numerous times with his parents, as well. "One advantage of having a famous father was I got to go backstage". "I met a lot of artists, greats like Dizzy Gillespie and Sarah Vaughan. Looking back on that, I can see how much the musicians I met there influenced my career."

Eastwood began playing electric bass in high school, learning R&B, Motown, and reggae tunes by ear. After studying with French bassist Bunny Brunel, he began playing gigs around the New York and Los Angeles areas, eventually forming the Kyle Eastwood Quartet, who contributed to 1996's Eastwood After Hours: Live at Carnegie Hall, a concert saluting Clint Eastwood and his love of jazz.

In the 17 years since the release of From There To Here, Kyle Eastwood’s first album as a leader, the multi-talented double bassist, composer and producer has forged a dynamic musical path. His artistry is eclectic, yet refined and transcends the boundaries of jazz by exploring an ever-widening range of musical influences. While continuing to develop his parallel career as a composer and arranger on his legendary father Clint’s Oscar nominated films “Mystic River,” “Million Dollar Baby” and “Letters from Iwo Jima,” Eastwood has reaffirmed traditions while creating truly contemporary, lyrical and melodic jazz. He has flirted with electro-jazz cool on Paris Blue (2004); delved into 70s-tinged “smooth jazz” accents and grooves on Now (2006); and gone “arty” urban chic on the subtly mixed Metropolitan (2009).

With a Grammy, two Golden Globe, two GQ Man of the Year, three Brit, three Sony Radio and numerous other nominations and awards under his belt, Jamie Cullum is a success story around the planet. The most successful UK jazz artist ever, having sold over 10 million albums worldwide.

The sensational musician has the ability and versatility to blur musical genres with his unique take on jazz, pop and rock and his success is truly global, taking him from Seoul to Sao Paulo, FujiRock to Glastonbury and from Hamburg to Hollywood where he achieved great acclaim collaborating with Clint Eastwood on the Golden Globe nominated score for Gran Torino. Jamie has not just written for the London West End Stage but also for BBC Television and has presented TV shows on VH-1, Sky and the BBC. He has hosted several documentaries for BBC Radio’s 4 and 2 featuring such eminent subjects as Blue Note Records, Herbie Hancock, Jimi Hendrix and Quincy Jones. He currently presents his own award winning weekly prime time show for BBC Radio 2, the highest rated station in Europe and is proud to have been the first DJ to play the new stars of jazz, Gregory Porter and Laura Mvula. Jamie’s radio show has won two New York Radio Awards and the prestigious Gold Sony Radio Award in the UK and is now licensed to stations across the dial.